This is the largest and most important
town of western Crete, with a population of over 60,000 inhabitants.
It is situated on the eastern shore of the
bay of Chania, and is built on the neck
of the peninsula, on the site of ancient
Kydonia.

It is the administrative, commercial,
economic and communications centre
of the prefecture of the same name, of
which it is the capital.
It is linked with Piraeus by the boats
running from Souda harbour, to and
from which there is a regular bus service.

It has an airport near Sternes at Akrotiri, 15 kms. east of the town. There are very frequent flights to Athens in the summer, less frequent in the winter.
Olympic Airways coaches, KTEL buses and taxis convey passengers to and from the airport.

History

The excavations in the Kastelli quarter
proved that present-day Chania was

built on the the site of ancient Kydonia.
Many graves and a rich collection of
pottery of various periods, grave offerings of the Mycenean period, a structure in the style of a Minoan palace, parts of frescoes of the Late Minoan period, a fragment of a stirrup jar with an inscription in Linear B, three clay tablets in Linear B script, statues of the Roman period, a magnificent mosaic of the late Hellenistic period, were all discovered here. These rich finds confirm that in the area of the present-day town, an important settlement had been established since Neolithic times, which developed through the centuries to become Kydonia in later years.

Kydonia was a large city which nourished during the Roman period, and even
boasted a theatre.

We see the city mentioned under the
name of Kydonia until the end of the 1st
Byzantine period, at which time it was
a bishop's see. It is believed to have
been destroyed by the Saracens in 828
AD. Remains of the Roman theatre
have not been preserved, since, as for-
eign travellers of the time record, the
Venetians demolished it to use the materials for the construction of the city walls.

During the 2nd Byzantine period, Chania lost its prestige, no longer holding the status of an important town, but only that of an unimportant village.

When the Venetians settled at Kastelli,
they fortified the town, built the palace
of the "Retturis" within the fortress,
and also the Roman Catholic cathedral
and the houses of the Venetian officials.
At the foot of the hill, they established
the "Burghi", which were later encircled by newer walls. The new walls were built between 1336 and 1356, but these, too, were not strong enough so, almost two hundred years later, in 1536, the famous Italian civil engineer Michele Sanmicheli came to the town to design the more recent walls.

However, the new fortifications were
still insufficient. In 1536, new additions
were made and the construction was
completed in 1568.

In 1645, after a siege of two months, the
Turks took the fort and occupied the
town.

Later they repaired and fortified the destroyed portions of the walls, ruins of which still survived up to the early years of our century.

They fell into ruin partly owing to their
age, but chiefly because the inhabitants
themselves demolished them to build
new structures on top, using the mater-ials from the walls themselves. Thus,
today, only very few remains have been
preserved.

In 1851, the Turks transferred the seat of the Ottoman administration of Crete to Chania.

In 1897, after the island was declared
an autonomous republic, the Turks with-
drew and Chania became the capital of
the Cretan State and the seat of the
High Commissioner.

In 1913, together with the rest of Crete,
Chania was incorporated into the free
Greek State. During the heroic Battle
of Crete, in May 1941, the area of Chania became a theatre of operations.
During the difficult years of the German occupation, the inhabitants of Chania were actively involved in the resistance


Tour of the town

Chania has, to a large degree, retained
its local colour. It is one of the loveliest
towns in Greece and the many vestiges
of its past give it a particular charm.
Entire Venetian, Turkish and Jewish
neighbourhoods still survive, with
well-preserved buildings, while the
modern town, continuing to develop, is
built according to well-designed plans,
with parks and attractive edifices. It
differs considerably from the tasteless
big towns of today.

Chania disposes of a large number of
beds in hotels of various categories.
There are also pensions and guest houses. There are many restaurants -
some of them offering foreign specialities - tavernas, seafood restaurants, "ouzeries", pastry shops, coffee shops,
pubs etc. in every neighbourhood and
especially in the harbour area, which is
lit up by the shop lights in the evenings
and sparkles like a fairy-tale town.

One can enjoy oneself in the discos, or
one might prefer to listen to Cretan music.

There are cinemas, theatres and concerts, exhibitions, lectures and a variety of cultural activities.
Generally, Chania is a town which caters for all tastes and interests.
We shall begin our tour of the town from the old quarters.

Opposite the Firkas fortress stand a 16th century Venetian lighthouse, which was restored to its present form by the Egyptians in the mid-18th century. The harbour, sheltered from the north wind and sea by strong breakwaters, lies to the east of the Topanas quarter.

The Jewish quarter ("Ovriaki"), is situated to the south of Topanas. The most important edifice of this neighbourhood is the imposing Venetian church of Saint Francis, which used to belong to the Franciscan monks and which today houses the Chania Archaeological
Museum.

The Turks had turned this church into
a mosque ("Yiousouf Pasha Djami"),
adding new structures and a small min-
aret which was destroyed during World
War II. To the south of the Jewish quarter is the Schiavo or Lando bastion and a
portion of the town walls.

The Sandrivani quarter (Eleftherios
Venizelos square). This was the heart of
old Chania. It dates from the Venetian
period, but we do not know the name it
bore at that time. It owes its present
name to a Turkish fountain (syndrivani) which stood in the middle of the square.

Further north is the Hassan Pacha mosque - built by the Arabs - which houses the Information Office of the Municipality of Chania. Next to it we find the Port Authority kiosk, where the old Customs House once stood.

The Kastelli quarter. This quarter
lies to the east of the harbour. Here, as
the archaeological finds indicate, was
the site of ancient Kydonia. The Venetians settled in this area in 1252. They built walls and, within the enclosure, on the highest point of the hill, they erected the "Rettore's" Palazzo. During the Turkish occupation, this was where the Pasha resided.

Further south stood the Venetian Cathedral, which the Turks turned into a
mosque when they took the fortress.
During the later years of the Turkish
occupation, several wealthy families of
Chania lived in the Kastelli neighbour-
hood.

Today, nothing remains of the buildings except the base of the northern side of the walls.

The Splantza or Plaza quarter. This
was the Turkish quarter. It lies to the
east of the Kastelli quarter, near the
harbour with its shipyards which were
built by the Venetians in the late 15th
century. Today, only nine out of the twenty arches of the shipyards are pre-
served.

In the square stands the church of Saint
Nicholas.

Also worthy of notice is the small Vene-
tian church of Saint Rocco with a Latin
inscription of 1630, and the Greek Or-
thodox Church ofAghioi Anargyroi.

Other characteristic spots in the
town of Chania are; The impressive
Municipal Market, in the centre of town
(1897 Square), which was built in 1911.
The restored 1645 mosque, in the harbour, where the offices of the Greek Tourism Organization are housed.
The Turkish Baths: this is a building with a characteristic dome, in the harbour area.

The Renieri Gate in Theophanous Street.

The Cathedral of Chania ("Trimartyri") in a square east of Chalidon Street.
This church has three naves, dedicated
to the Presentation of the Holy Virgin,
to Saint Nicholas and to the Three Hierarchs, respectively.

A visit to the Chania Municipal Gardens is also worthwhile. This is the Turkish "baktshe", which was designed in 1870, following European models, by Reouf Pacha.

The most important among the newer
neighbourhoods of Chania are: The historic Halepa quarter, where the palace of the High Commissioner, the house of Eleftherios Venizelos and the Church of Saint Magdalene, built in the Russo-Byzantine style, are to be found;

the Kainouria Chora (New Town) to the west; the Koum Kapi, outside the walls on the eastern side, and the Bolari quarter, to the east of Koum Kapi.